While Ronnie Brown’s five touchdown performance ate up the spotlight that came with the New England win, and Joey Porter silenced his critics with a Pro Bowl worthy effort, there were three other Dolphins whose contributions against the Patriots were equally as impressive.

Offensive linemen Justin Smiley and Jake Long were dominant all game, pushing New England’s defenders around, opening up those huge holes for Brown and Ricky Williams, and keeping Chad Pennington’s jersey clean. And safety Yeremiah Bell was a major playmaker (contributing a team-high 10 tackles), erasing a few defensive errors with his closing speed, and seems to be turning it up a notch.

Long was often lined up next to right tackle Vernon Carey on an unbalanced offensive line (two tackles playing together) during those Wildcat plays. He and Carey were bulldozing Patriots, and Smiley was pulling to the right to clean up the leftovers. But Long and Smiley were also driving Patriots backwards in their base sets. Long was the key blocker on Brown’s 15-yard touchdown run. However, Smiley gets my goldstar for being the best offensive lineman in Miami’s first win because he did most of the dirty work. Pulling is for the big dogs.

But the bottom line is the Dolphins owned the line of scrimmage, which is what this team will need to continue this type of success….

As for Bell, he made a number of drive stopping plays, and a lot of them came on his second effort. On one particular play Bell was blown up by a Patriots’ offensive linemen but got up and still managed to stop Wes Welker from getting the first down. His closing speed was eye opening. If he stays on this pace, and remains healthy for the rest of the season, expect Bell to finish 2008 as the Dolphins top tackler.

His safety partner wasn’t too shabby either.

Renaldo Hill is quiet by nature. He talks at a tone that’s a few decibels higher than a whisper off the field. But on it he can be heard up in the stands, and that play-calling ability benefited the secondary. It was Hill out there diagnosing the plays, which helped the secondary improve drastically from the first two games.

I predict the Dolphins defense will continue to see improvement in the back-end with Hill as the starting free safety. Hill missed out on picking off two passes against the Patriots. The first one he let slip through his hands for a Welker catch. The second was called back because of a bogus roughing the QB penalty on Vonnie Holliday. But both plays were clear signs that his anticipation exceeded that of the other safeties.

Since I brought up defensive ends, Kendall Langford and Phillip Merling are playing more and more each week, and their growth is noticeable. Merling started his second game against New England. Last week I pointed out Langford, who gets a great push at the point of attack, should be putting his hands up if he’s out of range for taking down the QB. He did that on Sunday and deflected a second-and-8 pass attempt. He also contributed one tackle for a loss.

Merling, who is beginning to eat into Holliday’s playing time, contributed three tackles, one sack (all power, very little technique), two quarterback hurries, and recovered a fumble. Since we’re keeping tabs, on New England’s biggest run by a tailback, a 17-yard gain from Sammy Morris, Holliday got handled by Matt Light, who turned him to the outside, and OLB Akin Ayodele got stood up by the left guard…..

On New England’s first offensive drive of the game Richard Seymour knocked down a third-down pass from Pennington because he drove right guard Ikechuku Ndukwe 3-yards into the backfield. While Ndukwe performed much better in his second start, he still got beat a lot, and also committed a false start. However, I finally see the upside these coaches like, which is his athleticism. On one play early in the first-quarter Ndukwe stood up Vince Wilfork and moved the Pro Bowl nose tackle out of the way, which is an extremely difficult thing to do for any lineman. The Patriots worked hard to get Wilfork matched up on Ndukwe, and at times he held his own. But Ndukwe must understand teams smell blood and will be coming after him….

It was good to see Ernest Wilford enter the game as a receiver in the two tight end package. It provides that unit better blocking. Wilford caught his first pass of the season cleanly, finding an open area to rescue a scrambling Pennington and ran after the catch for a 15-yard gain.

Pennington fired in a 30-yard bullet to Greg Camarillo, who made two extremely tough catches during the game. This one pass wasn’t one of them because Pennington exhibited a little arm strength finally. I’m sensing his issues with the arm comes into play when he must put some air underneath his throws. The Dolphins are three games in and Pennington has only thrown deep once. It’s wise just to take at least one shot every game just to warn defenses you can, and will.

One thing I’ll point out about Pennington: When he throws the ball it’s often after he’s made his second, and sometimes third read. And he’s not throwing dump-off passes. You won’t get that from a rookie or inexperienced QB. Pennington has only been sacked six times this season, and while the line play has been relatively solid, a lot of it has to do with his pocket presence. That’s what an experienced QB brings to the table….

Defensive end Randy Starks was slow to learn this new 3-4 defensive scheme, but now that he’s up to speed the former Titans defensive tackle turned 3-4 end is really turning it on. In week two Starks contributed his first sack of the season. Against the Patriots he read a screen play perfectly and intercepted New England’s first scoring threat. Starks also got in the passing lane and deflected two passes, and hurried the quarterback twice. That’s five impact plays in roughly 25 snaps, which is a pretty darn good ratio. Each week I’m feeling Starks more and more….

Of Porter’s three sacks, one was against tight end Ben Watson and the other two were straight power moves against New England’s right tackle. The Dolphins are moving Porter around a lot, (on one play he was the inside linebacker) and it’s giving opposing defenses trouble. They are also keeping the outside linebackers fresh by rotating in Matt Roth, Charlie Anderson and Quentin Moses, who all played decent reps. But Porter rarely left the field….

I was kind of troubled by the two quick hitch passes the Dolphins threw to Ted Ginn Jr., who did put together his best game (five catches for 49 yards) of the season. While I’m well aware Ginn is more fast than quick (there is a difference) I was puzzled by his inability to make the first defender miss on both those quick outs, which are designed for the receiver to shake the defense and make run-after catch yards. When Davone Bess got a similar opportunity he made his first defender miss. Now I’m starting to see what the coaches have been seeing, and understand why Bess is eating up some of Ginn’s playtime.

For those keeping tabs, Jason Allen is primarily being used as a cornerback these days. He entered the game in the nickel and dime package when Michael Lehan suffered a hamstring injury. Lehan told me he’s fine, and that the injury is nothing a bye week can’t heal. However, Lehan’s hamstring strain is an example of what happens when athletes are battling a lingering injury (like a high ankle sprain) and try to overcompensate for it by putting more of the workload on the other leg, or another portion of the body. I’m surprised it was Allen and not Nate Jones the Dolphins called on.

So, what player’s performance excited you the most from that New England game? Which player’s progress are you most interested in tracking?

And so I can keep tabs, who are you interested in hearing from in an unfiltered interview, and what would you like me to ask?

Comments (1,825 Comments)

jahndoh,
I love these little pissing fights we get into. It helps me burn away some of that plaque in my arteries.
Believe it or not, I actually do know something about the specific skills it takes to play different positions in football. The skills needed by an elite LT in the NFL are the same skills that makes for a good high school player. I’m guessing that Jake Long ended up as a LT b/c he was the biggest, strongest guy on the playground(he was b/c i went and looked at some of his high school game tapes), and I say that with all due respect b/c he definitely is a very good athlete for someone his size.
ANY of my comments about athletic skills comes from my own brain. I have no way of proving that to you. I guess all you can do is evaluate what I say about players and decide for yourself if I was right or full of s$%t. Frankly, I disagree with a lot of the evaluations given by so-called experts in the media. I know Jake’s strong assets, but I can also be honest about his weaknesses.
Lastly, my whole point was to respond to your post and others blasting people for suggesting that Jake would be a better RT than a LT. If you look at the kid’s physical skills, I just don’t see how anyone could possibly disagree with that statement, but everyone’s entitled to do so.
I’m a Jake fan, and I’m pretty sure you can look back at any of my posts over the years and see that I have been begging for the Fins to pick OL with their top picks. I was very happy with their pick of Jake. I’m just saying that I think his skill-set is better suited to RT, and you pointing out all of his good plays being running plays only strengthens my point.

And too…I think we could have an absolutely dominating right side of the line with Vernon and Jake over there and Smiley pulling. That would be something to watch, but it would mean unbalancing our line just too much right now. I think Vernon could be just as good a guard as Jake would be a RT. Vernon could be another Leonard Davis…only better, i think.

Randy,
Long’s career will match, or exceed Webb’s, provided he remains healthy. Long is a better pass blocker than Webb was a run blocker. He is a far more complete player.
Webb was a good fit for those Marino teams that threw the ball on every down, but he was also part the reason we couldn’t run the ball during that era.
DO NOT group Webb in with the likes of Anthony Munoz. He wasn’t quite at that level.

Juan,
I agree with you on the Munoz and Webb comparison. I used Webb for the Fin connection.
I guess we’ll all have to wait and see what sort of LT Jake becomes. I’m hoping he turns into another Munoz…i truly am.

The fact that at this point, the worse case scenario on Jake Long is that he will be a stud RT is pretty encouraging.
Especially when you consider where guys like Robert Gallery have ended up. Not to mention any of the 1st round abortions the Dolphins have selected in the past decade.

Juan,
I’m an old Iowa farmboy, and I got to watch Gallery play. He should’ve never been a tackle to begin with. He ended up where he belongs….at guard. that usually happens in the NFL….guys find their natural spot. Luckily, Jake has the tools to play either RT or LT. That’s all good for us. Being encouraged by what we’ve seen from Jake thus far and think he’s a good fit is one thing…predicting a repeating pro-bowl caliber career is quite another. He’s a talented kid, and i’m happy to have him.

“”you pointing out all of his good plays being running plays only strengthens my point. “”
I didn’t mention that his QBs Jersey’s are kept clean?
Thought I did.
No matter, in the end I’ve been waiting for a serviceable LT since Webb left, and it’s taken decade to find Carey and now Long, I want them both, in their current positions next year and beyond.
(BTW I left Mark Dixon out of the last statement since he mostly played guard for us)
(BTW BTW: I was saying incessantly predraft that I thought they’d draft Long and that they might play him at RT for all the reasons you site…that said, I’m sold now. I guess Spencer Folau ruined me.)

“”I’m an old Iowa farmboy, and I got to watch Gallery play. He should’ve never been a tackle to begin with. He ended up where he belongs….at guard. that usually happens in the NFL….guys find their natural spot.”"
OR! MAYBE!
Guards are easier to find than Tackles? Just like RTs are harder to find than LTs…I wonder if the NFL average pay per position bears this out?
That’s sarcasm

HOW is it that NFL network is not going to use the fins as a REPLAY GAME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I looked through the directv guide and so far they are playing the friggin tampa bay game and the saints game, wtf????????? What we did wasn’t good enough for a reply, how the hell else can I get it on tape???? hippiejjr5@yahoo.com

randy, never mind. I commented on the post where you challenged jahndoe about why Jake Long was such a great tackle. I had refreshed only a couple of minutes earlier, but for some reason, I didn’t see your follow up posts then.

JL is a stud and I’m glad he’s here for a long time(no pun intended). I’d like to hear more from Allen. I think Crabtree should be our top pick(if we even get one that high lol). He is the type of receiver we need to move up a level.

Aaron Demore…
Nice rant. What brought you here to our blog?
Blood still boiling after getting run over?
1. A little add on to what Daniel said…I agree with him…you guys BOUGHT the NBA championship this year with Garnett and Allen.
2. No matter how many your Sox TRY to buy…they’ll never catch the Yankees, and will forever be their whipping post.
3. You talk about tradtion? The Patriots? LOL! Now that is funny. Prior to the Tuna stocking you guys and then BB lucking into Brady…you hadn’t had a good season since Steve Grogan! LOL You guys were the doormat of the AFC East for two decades! Your Patriots wouldn’t know tradition if it ran over them like the Phins did Sunday!
Get a life, and get a clue. Go Rah Rah with your own fans and we’ll see you at our place later this year.

Hey Randy,
Normally you have some informative posts…who pi$$ed in your cornflakes? Why the condecending terms in your big post above?
As for JL…why doesn’t everyone just shut up and watch him play? You said it yourself…the NFL has a way of causing guys to find their “natural position”. Well right now he’s playing LT for an O-line master of a headcoach. Let’s see what he does with his opportunity. Ogden, Pace, Jones, Munoz…geez…let’s just stack him up against the best of the last two decades!
I look at the rest of the LT’s in the league, and if you take into account where our franchise is (rebuilding) there isn’t anyone out there I’d rather have right now. I’d take JL over a couple years of the end of Pace’s or Jones’s careers. You could argue J. Thomas, but the guy is struggling so far this year, and his play has been uninspiring.
Even if his strength at the moment is run blocking…he’s one of the top 6 LT’s in the game at the moment.
There are very few who come into the NFL without flaws. He’s the best we’ve had since Webb!
As I said earlier today…if someone better suited at LT were to fall to the Trifecta in the draft that allowed them to move Jake to the right side…I have no doubt they would, but if not…my bet is he’s staying right where he is. The blindside of your QB is way more crucial that moving your stud runblocking tackle from left to right so you can run one direction over another. I THINK he’s a better pass blocking LT than Carey is…which means he’ll stay until someone beats him out.
And actually if you think about mismatches…the run blocking DE’s typically line up on the right side over the RT’s…and the pass rushing specialists line up on the left over the LT. Well having JL the run blocking stud RUN BLOCKING a pass rushing specialist makes him even MORE dominant and allows him to run over the guy and get to the second level!
Vernon Carey does a fine job on the right side!
I hope we keep him.

Jahndoh,
The Haynos quote was in the cutting of Parmele article…it said:
“I need work as a blocker, but I have come a long way the last couple of years,” Haynos said. “I got a text message in a meeting Monday. I’m hoping for a chance to play. I got to get used to [the South Florida heat].”

sometimes i wonder if you guys actually read ALL my posts. I was simply stating an opinion that Jake is better suited to play the RT position. I never said he would be a bad LT. I never even said he wasn’t a good LT. My responses were to other bloggers who felt that anyone who thought Jake would be a better RT than a left tackle didn’t know what they were talking about. And, as usual, never offered any insight of their own to backup their statement. They just like to throw out comments like: “he’ll be a pro bowler for years.” or “he’s already one of the best LT in the game.” Well, that doesn’t explain your reasoning in the least. Tell me WHY you think he’ll be a pro bowler and is already…after 3 games no less…one of top LTs in the league. If you can’t explain why he’s such a great LT then maybe the opinion you’re aspousing really wasn’t yours in the first place and just something you heard or hope to be true.
I enjoy the give-and-take that goes on about what a player’s strengths and weaknesses are. I may be wrong…i may be right, but at least I support my opinion by pointing out how I came to it in the first place.
JinVa,
I apologize for any perceived condesenscion(?) in my earlier posts. My comments were in direct response to people saying I didn’t know what i was talking about, so maybe i came off a bit irked by that when they can’t tell me WHY i don’t know what i’m talking about. Also, to your point about Jake being able to dominate pass-rushing specialist DEs on his side in the running game, all i can say is if that is all you expect out of an “elite” LT then you’re setting your sights awfully low b/c there are plenty of guys out there who can get that job done. It’s a great bonus that Jake is such a great runblocker, but it doesn’t support a rationale that says he’s a pro bowler waiting to happen. which, of course, i sincerely hope he is.

OMAR KELLY was unsuccessful at achieving his childhood dream to become a super hero, so he figured he'd do the next best thing and become a journalist who fights against injustice, and searches for truth. After being bored to death reporting news and covering politics, he switched to sports.
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IZZY GOULD joined the Sun Sentinel in Feb. 2012 as a Senior Sports Reporter on the Miami Dolphins beat. He came to South Florida fresh off covering the University of Alabama football program, including its 2011 national championship team. More